Debate on Campus Speech Brings Some Strong Words : Rights: Cal State Fullerton proposal to discipline use of ‘hostile’ language curbs First Amendment, critics say.

Cal State Fullerton’s Academic Senate launched its final rounds of discussion Thursday on a non-discrimination policy that would give administrators the power to discipline people on campus who use words that are considered offensive or “hostile.”

Thursday’s meeting gave the 50-member faculty senate a chance to debate the issue, which has divided free speech supporters and those who say that the campus must act more aggressively against students, faculty and staff who offend others through derogatory speech and behavior.

During the 45-minute session, some speakers sharply criticized the potential curbing of First Amendment rights on campus.

Economic professor Bob Ayanian predicted that the policy would force students into “bland uniformity.”

“With this in place, the only safe thing to do is not say anything and to keep your head down,” Ayanian said. “It’s like swatting a fly with a nuclear warhead.”

But Senate member Craig Ihara said students need to know that the school is willing to protect minorities and others who are the targets of slurs.

“It might seem obvious that we are against discrimination on campus,” said Ihara, an academic adviser in the philosophy department who helped draft the policy. “But we must take further steps and make a public stand.”

L. David Mendoza, a junior majoring in Russian and East European studies, disagreed, telling the senate that the policy was “doublespeak” because it attempts to protect minorities by restraining the rights of others.

Mendoza said the senate was too broad in its guidelines.

“The only way you can allow myself or other students to know exactly the intent of what you see as hostile speech is if you can specifically state word by word what you consider (to be) hostile,” Mendoza said. “What you are trying to attempt here is a very broad restraint on the freedom of speech.”

The senate is expected to vote on the policy Dec. 5. Its decision will cap a two-year discussion on the issue and is expected to help shape debate at other college campuses in Orange County that are considering similar policies. Elsewhere, UC Berkeley, the University of Michigan and many other schools nationwide have instituted policies in the last several years aimed at limiting discriminatory language.

Cal State Fullerton’s student population has grown increasingly diverse in recent years. Since 1980, the number of minority students has doubled. However, bigotry has increased as well, Ihara said.

“As the years go by, our campus is going to become more diverse,” Ihara said. “At the same time, students are going to be competing for limited classes. We must have something in place so that people know that such hostilities will not be tolerated.”

The discussion centered on the non-discrimination policy’s section on guidelines, which attempts to define what is considered discriminatory speech and behavior.

The guidelines say that students face unspecified disciplinary action if their speech or expression creates “a hostile and intimidating environment” and is “specifically intended to and does harm an individual on the basis of their sex, race, color disability, religion, sexual orientation, alienage, or national and ethnic origin.”

Students, for example, could be disciplined if they attack others on campus with racial slurs.

Senate Chairman Stewart Long said the section will likely be made less restrictive before the senate votes on it. If it is passed, the measure then goes to Cal State President Milton A. Gordon to sign.

“I have a gut feeling that amendments will be added,” Long said. “The section is an attempt to break new ground. But I don’t think we should get into the dangerous grounds of defining what speech is damaging. It runs the risk of dampening free speech.”